Bulk-to-boundary anyon fusion from microscopic models

TL;DR

This paper investigates how anyons in 2+1D topological orders fuse with boundaries, providing formulas and examples for understanding boundary interactions crucial for topological quantum error correction.

Contribution

It introduces a generalized tube algebra approach to compute bulk-to-boundary fusion multiplicities in fixed-point models, including non-Abelian cases like twisted S3 models.

Findings

Derived explicit fusion formulas for bulk-to-boundary events.

Calculated fusion events for Abelian and non-Abelian models.

Demonstrated applications to topological quantum error correction codes.

Abstract

Topological quantum error correction based on the manipulation of the anyonic defects constitutes one of the most promising frameworks towards realizing fault-tolerant quantum devices. Hence, it is crucial to understand how these defects interact with external defects such as boundaries or domain walls. Motivated by this line of thought, in this work, we study the fusion events between anyons in the bulk and at the boundary in fixed-point models of 2+1-dimensional non-chiral topological order defined by arbitrary fusion categories. Our construction uses generalized tube algebra techniques to construct a bi-representation of bulk and boundary defects. We explicitly derive a formula to calculate the fusion multiplicities of a bulk-to-boundary fusion event for twisted quantum double models and calculate some exemplary fusion events for Abelian models and the (twisted) quantum double model of S3, the simplest non-Abelian group-theoretical model. Moreover, we use the folding trick to study the anyonic behavior at non-trivial domain walls between twisted S3 and twisted Z2 as well as Z3 models. A recurring theme in our construction is an isomorphism relating twisted cohomology groups to untwisted ones. The results of this work can directly be applied to study logical operators in two-dimensional topological error correcting codes with boundaries described by a twisted gauge theory of a finite group.